Pope praises Twitter and your 'profound' tweets

Pope Benedict XVI has given a tentative thumbs-up to micro-blogging sites such as Twitter, but explained to his followers that they may reap more spiritual reward by just piping down a bit online.

In his annual message ahead of the Catholic church’s World Communications Day, the Pontiff chose to focus on the virtue of silence in the modern world - but proved he can also mix with Web 2.0 trendies in a thinly veiled reference to Twitter and its ilk.

“Attention should be paid to the various types of websites, applications and social networks which can help people today to find time for reflection and authentic questioning, as well as making space for silence and occasions for prayer, meditation or sharing of the word of God,” he said.

“In concise phrases, often no longer than a verse from the Bible, profound thoughts can be communicated, as long as those taking part in the conversation do not neglect to cultivate their own inner lives.”

However, much of the Pope’s message warned how incessant chatter, especially the sort found online, could be bad for the soul.

“In our time, the internet is becoming ever more a forum for questions and answers – indeed, people today are frequently bombarded with answers to questions they have never asked and to needs of which they were unaware,” he continued.

“If we are to recognise and focus upon the truly important questions, then silence is a precious commodity that enables us to exercise proper discernment in the face of the surcharge of stimuli and data that we receive.”

This is not the first time the techno-Pontiff has used World Communications Day to wax lyrical about the web.

Despite his hi-tech credentials, however, the head of the Catholic church (registered users: 1bn+) has just 31,000 followers on Twitter and hasn’t even used the service since 25 December. There must be a lot of lapsed Catholics out there. ®